Shirtless
by Ebinia
Summary: A collection of little stories ranging from humour to angst to fluff and back again! All Sparky.


Authors Note: These 5 little fics were prompted because of one of my LJ icons based on Echoes. It reads: "I took off my shirt … and she fainted" There are no spoilers in the stories but if you want to see the icon then I guess it is a bit spoilerish. You can see it at my Livejournal (ebinia). Hugs are due to Hollysamantha for being a willing beta.

Shirtless

It was one of the more unusual evenings in Atlantis, that is to say, there was nothing urgent to worry about. But for John Sheppard things were not much better. He couldn't remember who suggested the idea (although at this point he had a strong suspicion it was Elizabeth) but his team were currently holed up in her quarters playing an extremely expensive game of poker. He looked around the table once again, still deliberating on his next move. Rodney he could understand; a mathematical genius would obviously have a head for statistics and although his game lacked flare he was holding his own. Next were Ronon and Teyla, the pair of aliens he had assumed before this evening would not be up to speed on the finer points of Texas Hold'em. It transpired however, that the evenings they'd been spending with Chuck had not been put to waste. And then there was Elizabeth, currently looking rather pleased with the enormous stash of bounty in front of her. Who would have thought such a straight laced kind of woman had once been anything but. By the state of her this evening she might well be slipping into more than just one old bad habit. While the drinking had to this point been pretty liberal he was pretty sure that Elizabeth Weir could account for at least half of the precious home brew they'd been consuming.

John looked at his measly pile of, well, nothing and couldn't help but sigh at the unfairness of it all. Finally after such a poor showing he had a hand to be proud of, something that could potentially wipe that smug smile off of Elizabeth's face and at least temporarily halt Rodney's running commentary on how he _should_ be playing his hand. He'd already given up his next allowance of personal items on the _Daedalus_ (Elizabeth had demanded chocolate and coffee, so no surprises there). All he had left now were the clothes on his back. With a flash of inspiration his demeanour brightened.

"Right, I'm in" he announced,

"With what?" demanded Elizabeth incredulously and he couldn't help but notice a slight slur.

"This," reaching behind his head he pulled the t-shirt over, "all I have left are the clothes on my back so that's what I'm offering"

"This isn't strip poker you know."

"I'm not stripping, just temporarily offering you my t-shirt until I win this round."

He noticed Rodney barely tried to cover his snigger and gave him a stern glare.

"And if you loose, what would I want with a smelly old t-shirt?"

"Well, not much really but you'd have the satisfaction of knowing I had to do the walk of shame back to my quarters without it."

Her grin turned evil. "Well when you put it like that" she teased.

He settled back in his seat and waited for everyone else to decide. Rodney, Ronon and Teyla all folded, the cocksure grin on John's face making them all a bit nervous about their own dwindling pots. Elizabeth however was game to take him on.

"Well let's see 'em" she demanded.

Triumphantly John placed his full house of kings and queens down on the table. She looked at them seriously for a while (although he swore she was just trying to focus on his cards) and then broke out into laughter. Taking a celebratory swig from her glass she put down her four-of-a-kind with a grand flourish. John stared at her in disbelief as she quirked her eyebrow and leaned back. Being slightly more than tipsy however she missed the tipping point and went flying backwards. Out of his chair in an instant John reached down to her. She was out cold.

* * *

It had been a very long and tiring day for the leader of the Atlantis expedition. On her feet most of the day Elizabeth Weir was exhausted by bed time. 

"You look beat" observed John as he watched her undress with her eyes barely open.

"I feel it" she admitted sitting on the edge of their bed to remove her socks. Finally done she lay back and sagged into the mattress. He quickly removed the rest of his uniform before crossing the room to turn the light out.

"Shit!," she groaned "I forgot my teeth". Sighing she pushed herself back up. As she turned towards the bathroom she swayed on her feet, John barely had any time to catch her before she passed out in his arms. Finding his radio on the bedside table he called "Med team to Dr Weir's quarters, now!"

By the time they arrived she had regained consciousness but was still looking very dazed. Not wanting all the fuss she waved them away saying that she just needed a good night's sleep. Carson refused to leave though until she promised to see him for tests as soon as she returned to work tomorrow.

"See if you can get her to have a lie-in" he said to John on his way out, "she's been working too hard recently, you too."

"I'll try" promised John before closing the door and finally turning off the light.

The next morning she still felt exhausted but after an hour extra in bed duty called and they made their way to the mess hall for breakfast.

"Well I'm glad to see you eating a proper meal for a change" remarked Carson when he found them just finishing. "If you're ready we can go and do those tests now?"

"Yes, well, I doubt I'll be getting any peace from either of you until I do so let's get it over with shall we?" said Elizabeth.

In the medical lab Beckett checked over her records and drew some blood. "Don't look so worried love, it's just a precaution. Nothing a few good meals and lots more sleep won't cure anyway. I'll just run this and you can be back at your desk in no time."

Elizabeth stifled another yawn as she lay back and waited for the doctor to give her the green light. _Perhaps I have been working myself too hard, _she thought_, I don't ever remember feeling this tired before. _When Carson returned he was smiling and she breathed a sigh of relief. Not that she'd ever really had health problems but it worried her that the potential was always there; something that could take her away from Atlantis.

"So can I go back to work then?" she asked.

"Of course but, first I think you should see the results of your blood tests." He handed her a bit of paper and she looked at him confused.

"What does this mean?" she asked.

"Elizabeth, you're pregnant. Congratulations!"

* * *

The railroad workers had arrived over a week ago and Miss Elizabeth was finding the whole experience immensely liberating. The small town was now awash with young men and for the first time in her life she found herself the centre of much attention. To her father's distress she'd taken to enjoying her daily walks in the newer parts of town. She had become captivated by one of the men in particular; his distinct dark and unruly hair and fine-looking eyes had attracted her immediately. Rumour had it that he used to be a Major in the Army until he'd disobeyed orders and been booted out. The problem however, was that she had thus far been unable to capture his attention. He walked about town with his thoughts off in a different world; whenever she had placed herself in his path he hadn't even noticed. She had tried dropping her handkerchief in his path (he had politely picked it up and returned it but without so much as a glance at her face before returning to his stroll), she had left sweetmeats in a basket outside of his lodgings (he had not spent a great deal of effort endeavouring to locate his benefactor, but had simply enjoyed a small portion before sharing the rest with the children of the poor). 

And so it was that with the railroad work drawing to a close Miss Elizabeth found herself with only one course of action remaining. The day was sweltering yet again and this time the man had removed his top whilst continuing to work the heavy hammer used to pin the sections of railroad together. She watched as he pounded the peg into the frame, his muscles rippled as sweat poured down his tanned back; she was more determined than ever. Soon the bell would ring and the workers would stop for a brief lunch. When the time came she saw him pour water over his head and replace the shirt. As always he headed towards the shade of the apple orchard where she was lying in wait. As he walked towards her she readied herself until just the right moment. With a dramatic sigh she let herself begin to fall right in his path. On this occasion he saw her and ran forward to catch her in his arms. Her arm falling listlessly across her forehead she smiled up at him and he smiled back.

"Why thank you," she said, "it's such a hot day I feel quite faint."

"Well we can't have a pretty thing like you falling on this dusty ground now can we?" he said still smiling. "Can I offer you my arm to get you safely home?" he asked.

"That would be most agreeable, I'd feel much safer if you stayed by me" she accepted linking her arm in his. "My name is Elizabeth, what's yours?"

"John" he replied, "pleased to make your acquaintance."

* * *

The temperature was immense and the work back-breaking. It had been three whole weeks now and Elizabeth Weir spent every day of it regretting her decision to trade with the Tolnedrans. She and John had been trapped working these mines for the most part and the work was killing her. Grubby and bruised she continued to dig at the walls searching for that seam that would buy their freedom. Although still hoping for a rescue, as time slipped by she became more and more aware that it might never happen. 

Pausing briefly John took a swig of water and passed her the animal skin. Sipping carefully she allowed just enough water to pass her lips to moisten her mouth and no more. Swallowing was painful but the temptation to gulp it down remained anyway. Her stomach growled but by now she was used to the dull ache of intense hunger. Tired and in pain she struggled on.

By the end of the shift they were both exhausted. It had been another long day and there was little to look forward to except collapsing on their cots. Their last meal had made her choke violently, finding herself now totally unable to swallow in her dry throat. John watched her helplessly as he gave up his remaining water ration to try and moisten her food but she was still unable to eat. Finally at the end of the day they made their way to the bunks. Peeling off his dirt encrusted work-shirt John almost didn't see when she began to drop to the ground. Cradling her in his arms they sank to the floor. Tears of frustration and anger threatened to spill; there was no doctor he could take her to, no way of getting better food. He'd never felt more helpless in his life and didn't know how much more of this she could take. After holding her a long while he lifted her onto the bunk, as certain as he could be that she was now just resting. He tenderly kissed her forehead and silently prayed for his team to hurray before it was too late.

* * *

And finally the one you've all been waiting for… 

Lt Cadman had started it all off, obviously desperate to display her comic talents in some form that wouldn't lead to a court martial. It soon became obvious however, that the "best and brightest" had many talents beyond science and military tactics. Talent Night had therefore become a regular occurrence in Atlantis and was a welcome distraction from the constant danger that invaded their lives.

On this particular evening the audience had been treated to a spectacular show. Laura had been hilarious with lots of new material after her recent visit back to earth; Teyla had sung (another regular contributor after her first performance had lead to a small but insistent fan-club); Majors Baker and Moore had performed a juggling double act whilst singing an Elvis medley; and the biology department had all got together to perform various Monty Python sketches. The atmosphere was electric and the audience in stitches the whole night through.

Next up was the eagerly awaited, first -time appearance of none other than Lt Col. John Sheppard. As he sauntered onto the stage he winked at the audience and the music began; Sexy Back was pumped through the speakers. Slowly he lifted a corner of his t-shirt to reveal part of his six-pack, dropping it back down again he teased his audience with a little twirl and a very cheeky grin. As the cat-calls began Elizabeth Weir found herself stunned. _He was not doing what she thought he was doing! Oh my word, he was._ Without a hint of embarrassment he continued to tantalize his audience with sneak peeks of various innocuous body parts, whilst he flaunted himself across the stage in time to the sexy music. The audience were loving it, egging him on as he teased and flirted in the most ludicrous and outrageous manor. Several of the women at the front started to call for him to take his t-shirt off and the chant grow as the music picked up its tempo. Finally with an extravagant flourish he whipped the shirt off and gave a final bow to his audience. He received a standing ovation as he jumped off the stage to retake his seat next to Elizabeth. In the crowded room Elizabeth began to sway as the sound of the clapping dimmed. She needed more air but as she turned the room seemed to shrink and darkness crept into her vision. As John reached her side she fainted into his arms. The smile on his face couldn't have been wider.


End file.
